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The Office of School Modernization (OSM) is the department charged with administering ½ûÂþÌìÌà capital improvement projects.

On average, ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ’ buildings are over 80 years old, and some were built more than 100 years ago. Many of these schools need upgrades to provide students with modern learning environments and to address unsafe conditions.

Beginning with the 2012 Bond, OSM oversaw successful health, safety and educational improvements in over 51 schools. In addition, three historic high schools, Franklin, Grant, and Roosevelt High Schools were modernized and Faubion PK-8 was completely rebuilt.

Through the 2017 Health, Safety and Modernized Bond, work has taken place throughout the district to tackle water quality, lead paint, asbestos, radon, fire safety and ADA concerns in our aging inventory of neighborhood schools. A new Kellogg Middle School was rebuilt and opened in 2021 and the modernization of Leodis V. McDaniel (formerly Madison) High School was also completed in 2021. The rebuilding of a new six-story Lincoln High School is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2022. Construction is also underway on Benson Polytechnic and a new Multiple Pathways to Graduation Building on the Benson campus. These facilities are set to open in the summer of 2024.

The 1.2 billion-dollar 2020 School Bond will allows ½ûÂþÌìÌà to continue the vital work of improving our aging school buildings in several key areas as well as upgrading important educational infrastructure issues. The Jefferson High School Modernization project will be the first modernization project of the 2020 Bond Program to move forward and the first to complete, with anticipated initial opening at the start of the 2026-27 school year.

The work of OSM is overseen by the School Board, The Bond Accountability Committee (BAC), and regular performance audits.

Over the long term, ½ûÂþÌìÌà plans to modernize every school through a series of capital construction bonds, bringing them all up to modern facility and educational standards.